Disclaimer: I’ve never “played” Second Life and I don’t intend to do so. Ever. This rant is not born out of dissatisfaction with the product.

No, I’m overcome with extreme annoyance whenever I hear someone mentioning Second Life. Especially if it is referred to as a game.

Second Life is not a game. It’s a giant 3D chat room with some scripting capabilities. Making money of noobs is not a game concept.

And why do I get the impression that the only residents of Second Life are 40-ish perverts who gladly shell out a couple of bucks to dress up their teenage girlie avatar nicely and the people who spend their time making these clothes?

Oh, and then there is the bottom of the marketing barrel. Guys who’ve read that Second Life is the next big thing and who now try to convince everyone to be part of it. And for a small fee they might even help them.

But what do you expect? The noobs start their SL-career to make money. They don’t, they stop, they still turn up as a resident in the statistics.

Do you think the big companies would waste their resources for this marketing frenzy if Linden said “Oh, we’ve got about 200,000 players”?

I don’t think so. But 2,000,000 and rapidly growing? Hey, the others are doing it, so there must be something to it.

So, go on. Be a part of the ugly, buggy online community that is Second Life. And if you get pwned by a bunch of flying penises: It’s not weird - It’s your life now.

Okay, I feel better now. I hope I haven’t insulted you too much. If I have - I didn’t mean to. Don’t take it too seriously. That was just me ranting.